Ten dead, dozens injured in horrifying California crash (VIDEO)

A deadly accident in northern California has taken the lives of 10 people – half of which were high school students – after a FedEx truck collided head-on with a tour bus heading towards a local university.

The collision occurred almost 100 miles north of Sacramento, near
the city of Orland, and injured about 34 people. The two vehicles
were driving in opposite directions on April 10 when the FedEx
truck apparently crossed the divider on the interstate and
slammed directly into the bus, which was carrying high school
students to a tour of Humboldt State University.

"They are traumatized, absolutely," California Highway
Patrol spokeswoman Tracy Hoover said to Reuters, referring to
those injured. "Most of them have scratches, cuts, burns,
contusions and lacerations - a magnitude of injuries."

"The big rig and the bus were both engulfed in flames,”
she added. “You are talking about two vehicles that are
destroyed. There is hardly anything left of the truck.”

Of those who died in the accident, five were high school students
and three were chaperones. Both the bus and truck drivers were
also killed. The identities of the victims remain unknown as
authorities seek to confirm exactly who was on the bus at the
time of the accident.

It’s unclear why the FedEx driver crossed the median, or whether
he lost control of his truck, but NBC News is reporting the
National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation
into the crash.

According to witnesses at the scene, the collision sounded like
multiple explosions and both vehicles burst into flames.

“It was insane,” 27-year-old Marc Smutny told the Los
Angeles Times. “The bus was engulfed in flames, smoke in and
out of the front,” he said. “The bus looked like it took most of
the hit. ... It was horrible.”

One of the survivor’s spoke with NBC’s “Today” show about the
accident, explaining that he had fallen sleep at the time of the
accident. He woke up to find his fellow students screaming, and
made his way out of the burning bus through one of the broken
windows.

“There was an emergency exit but there were too many people
in the bus trying to get out, so students that were there broke
the windows, and that helped a lot of us get out safely — not
safely, but get out of the bus," he said.

“When the impact hit, I flew from my seat to the seat in
front of me and that caused the cut on my eyebrow. From there, I
realized we were in a bad accident and the entire aisle was full
of smoke, and that’s when students were trying to escape the tour
bus.”

In a statement to the Times, California Gov. Jerry Brown and his
wife Anne expressed "heartfelt and deep sympathies to the
families, friends and loved ones of those who died in the tragic
accident near Orland this evening."

"As we mourn the loss of those who died, we join all
Californians in expressing our gratitude for the tireless work of
the Red Cross and emergency personnel who responded bravely to
this terrible tragedy.”